#sumire wanted to be eaten but not like this :(

[kidcosky]

✨ bon appétit ✨

[venxomi]

The God of the Pit and "Happiness"

Today I started thinking about the Pit God and its goals. What we know is that the series is slowly heading towards the destruction of all Yorishiros. Hanako claims that once you destroy all of the Yorishiros, "God" will grant his wish.

That is why he was using the rumors being twisted as a pretext to destroy them. Sakura will also be freed once they're all destroyed. But what does the Pit God get out of this?

Sakura also claims that everything might all just cease to exist. That made me think and think...

In the new present, chapter 120 reveals that it uses captured souls to lure the living and eat them alive, and then trap and use their souls to lure even more people, always wanting more.

Then it hit me. This entity was linked with "happiness" since its introduction.

In chapter 68, Sumire described how the villagers would say that the sacrifices would be granted eternal happiness, and we know that their souls are even now trapped inside the Red House's belly.

In chapter 120 in the new timeline, the Pit God even describes itself this way: "You'll descend to the bottom of the pit, to the land of the gods. This is happiness." It claims that everyone that's eaten up by It is "happy".

This happened in 118 too, when it said through Amane through the other souls that they should be happy, now that 2 new friends will join them. Again in 120, Kou explains that they're all trapped inside the Red House's belly.

Now, what do we know that the Red House is capable of doing? Showing people what they wish for, and what they can obtain in exchange for a sacrifice. How everyone who ever came to the Red House is trapped even now inside it, at the cost of their wish being fulfilled.

In 119 & 120, we can see how Amane's soul is kept in a moment of peace, where he is minding his own business and doing his work. He doesn't seem aware of what's going on at all.

The Seven Mysteries, therefore the Yorishiros, serve to keep the balance between the far and near shores, something devised to replace the practice of sacrificing people to the Pit God, especially after it was sealed. So if they're all destroyed... What if that would mean there's nothing to restrict the Pit God anymore? Nothing to stop it from consuming everything.

That would make Hanako and Sakura's expected outcomes one and the same. Everything will cease to exist because everything will be eaten up by this God, and all the same, the entire world will become something akin to the Red House, fulfilling everyone's desires while forever imprisoned inside its belly, granting them eternal "happiness", just like it's claimed to do.

[ingridgh0st]

Idk why or how I made this connection, maybe bc Sumire wished for everyone to be grieved to the point of going crazy for her death and for them to go all to hell ( I don't remember the exact words) and the irony is that everybody celebrated her death except for No.6 that was the one that was going through hell for her death, but Sumire still doubted him bc of his apathy and bc he didn't come to see her in god knows how long, while here Mitsuba states that Kou would be sad if he dissapeard like he'd be for everyone like it was a matter of fact

And maybe also bc in the two, lets call them, cannibalism scenes the part of the body that's eaten/bitten is the hand

I don't want to conclude anything with this post this is only a personal connection I made

[mari-lair]

Do you think Aoi will ever be able to show nene her “ugly” side and open up to her? Perhaps with the help of Akane? Or will she keep up her “popular girl” act with Nene to avoid the risk of losing her as a friend?

If we put the responsibility 100% on Aoi she will stay stuck in her popular persona forever. Aoi opening up is very important for change to be made, it is fundamental, but this friendship was built by two, and Aoi didn't get stuck in this superficial 'bubbly bff popular girl' image alone, Nene had just as much of a role keeping her in this box.

Nene lives in a fantasy and blinds herself to reality. Aoi is a big part of the idealistic high school life she desperately clings to, so even if Aoi tries to open up, Nene will either blind herself to Aoi's problems or go out of her way to shut Aoi down before the illusion is broken.

Even with the help of Akane I find it unlikely, cause 1- Akane knows this isn't his business, he let Aoi reunite with Nene alone and currently believes the two made up.

And number 2, even when people call Nene out directly, Nene does not change her behavior. If she doesn't want to think about something that distresses her, she will cover her eyes and not think about it. There is A LOT to talk about when it comes to this problem of hers, but I'll keep it brief, no need to go over the whole manga for this point.

Think about her dilemma with Hanako: She is always surprised when someone calls him a murderer, either making excuses for him or unable to reply, still not making a hint of progress untangling how she personally feels regarding his murder despite this being an internal conflict that was introduced at the very start of the manga.

Why does she not have an answer? Because she doesn't want to think about it. The idea of him murdering someone is troubling and scary and not a nice fantasy at all, she doesn't want to think about it. So she doesn't think about it. Is that simple.

Nene is no longer a normal girl. But she is in denial. She still wants to believe she is a normal girl.

We can say "A lot of 15 year olds girls live in a fantasy world and are boy crazy :D" but we can't say "A lot of 15 year old girls know they'll die in 1 year, have seen ghosts being broken and doomed, nearly lost their friend cause their crush got extreme in their attempts to help, had seen the eaten remains of a possible friend (sumire), but their priority is to confess to their crush." That's not normal. That's a Nene thing.

She is determined to stay the same even when the world around her begs her to change. Begs her to sit down and think about the reality she is facing.

She is shocked when she sees bad things but she doesn't allow herself to process it. The manga itself calls her out for not learning from her mistakes.

She treats high-stakes scenarios as a normal high school life scenario. Fantasy may be one of Nene's charms but it is also her biggest flaw.

Nene has many moments where her reality is challenged, moments that feel like it will lead to introspection, but she never thinks about what she is told. what she sees. She doesn't want to stay mad at Hanako. She doesn't want to think about the situation. So she focuses on the no priority of "omg I need to make my crush confess!" as best she can.

Anything that is too serious or dark to fit her high school fantasy adventure will not be thought about. She is a kind person, there is no denial, but this incapability to face reality, to take off her bubbly fantasy glasses, makes her very insensitive at times.

She is so far up la la land that she hasn't properly processed that Hanako is dead yet.

She non ironically says "l'll live a happy life as a dead person" at the idea of being with Hanako. Aoi's rescue is a run away narrative in her mind, a forbidden romance. She is not in reality.

It is understandable to go in denial, to reject reality when reality is something you don't want to face, especially at 15, but just because it is understandable doesn't make her devoid of responsability. Nene is being a coward, her fantasies are far more charming than Aoi's brand of cowardness but she is, in her own way, still running away from her problems.

Even Hanako, who is madly in love with her, acknowledges she is self-centered and childish.

Aoi being a popular queen is the embodiment of her fantasy that "being popular is amazing! Is a dream come true"

So if Aoi works on the courage to speak up, if Akane calls Nene out, but Nene doesn't work on her bad habit of ignoring reality for the sake of her high school dream life, she will keep turning a blind eye to every hint she had witnessed that being popular is not a sea of roses and Aoi have problems and flaws like everyone.

Aoi had tried to talk about her ugly sides before after all.

But Nene covered her eyes, dismissed the drugged Aoi she had seen as a complete fake and embracing her cute bubbly bff without asking any questions about her feelings, her behavior, etc.

She does not want Aoi to have flaws, so she won't see those flaws.

She won't change.

I talk in detail about how her fantasy problem affects her relationship with Aoi here

[royakahoshiart]

Gonna be ranting about the way harassment is talked about so leniently in tbhk.

That part where Tsukasa kissed Nene makes me so mad because we didn't get to even see Nene's genuine reactions, she only thought manwha type stuff it's so annoying.

Let's also talk about Hanako he's also harassed people constantly.

Looking up Nene's skirt, throwing Kou to the ground numerous times, never respecting boundaries even when told to.

I feel like I should add how both Aida and Iro are guilty of this in most of their stories actually.

Sure it's a popular thing in Japan to treat it as a joke but that's exactly why so many horrible shit heads can get away with harassment.

Oh god let's not forget the scene everyone on twitter and tik tok hates.

Chapter 69 during the aoiaoi fight, I will always defend it to my heart forever and ever but I acknowledge that the way Akane was touching her was kinda weird that's why I struggled to read it at first. The kiss at the end was consensual but holding her in place, and we whatever that panel of him was I don't wanna think about it was definitely not consensual.

I don't like how it's treated. I don't care that it's a comedy sometimes or that a shounen trope like this are common, both writer and artist are women I'd expect them to try and treat it with a little more care.

I've seen how most Japanese readers don't really address the bad things of the manga or maybe they just don't notice and I don't think that's good at all.

So many characters have done weird things I'm just picking who didn't, mitsuba and the adults seem to be the only ones who haven't harassed anyone really, even then they have faults.

Even Kou , he tied up Mitsuba it kinda pisses me off for no reason. Maybe im just petty but I knows it's supposed to be comedy, I still laugh at that thing but it's still weird how Kou tied him up in the first place and had no objections by Mitsuba at first maybe I'm thinking too hard about it.

I despise that part where Hanako enters Nene's body. Not consensual, plus using her as a way to get away with things.

People see it like a funny moment but it's still sexual harassment and harassment in general I hate is so much. The fact that he commented on Aoi's breast size makes me even more mad because he touched it wanting or not, and decided to say it even making fun of her.

Plus Nene was obviously uncomfortable with it I'm not sure how she was able to look at Aoi ever again.

Also poor Kou???? He's a poor 14 year old boy Hanako does not need to do that with Nene's body I feel so bad for both Kou and Nene. Kou wanted to do something about it but he couldn't even dare to look at the scene Kou Minamoto they could never make me hate you.

English translation fucked it up a bit , they made him comment on the occurrence saying "seductive" but what i think is more fit is "embarassing". AUGHHH tbhk stop putting your main characters in weird scenes challenge failed.

The image in the first volume of Nene being naked errr it's censored yes but weird. We could've had just hanako talking about it but we didn't need an artist rendition. Someone made an edit of that panel making her covered parts visible and it disgusts me like it would for other people too.

Talking so freely about wanting to see her naked is very weird from Hanako's part I don't exactly know if it does count as sexual harassment but for me it is.

I think we forget Sumire tried to erffghnb with Hakubo and I like that all she got was a headbutt. Oh oh and well Hakubo's kiss was uncalled for but her slap was even more.

The scene where she gets eaten goes down easier if you remember she was completely fine with it, both of them where okay with it happening (i still struggle reading that part 😓) so it's not really that bad.

[argentsunshine]

which of the phantom thieves do you think has the "cilantro tastes like soap" gene?

sumire (who will still eat it when offered because she doesn't want to be rude) and ryuji (insistent that it doesn't taste like soap exactly in a way that makes it clear he has eaten soap)

[se7ens-oc-heaven]

@shyyren and I were talking about revives recently and so I was asked.... who would eat a revive of the Legendkeepers cast?

For this I just stuck to answering who would and Why, and left off people who wouldn't:

Sumire: Has eaten one entirely on accident - she reached into her bag absentmindedly for something else (snack, ibuprofen, smth) and gulped it right down. Mortifying incident that probably happened alone in the woods but she may or may not have been seen by her rival who's something of a theatrical edgelord.

Ren: probably has to mime eating medicines to convince at least one of his pokemon to take it. Has probably actually eaten it on accident. That or has licked it out of idle curiosity.

Lena: would want to eat it upon hearing someone else talk about it because now she wants to know. Maciel talked her down to just licking it bc he can't afford buying more just because.

Rex: Would readily do so on a dare/to make a point during a convo with his rival/friend group

Ritsu: tried eating it on "reviver seed" logic (from pokemon mystery dungeon) and was sorely disappointed

Natsumi: normally would not. But if they feel like a point needs proven they'll take the dare or whatever and eat it without batting an eyelash

[pryntery-moved]

Doodle & Sketches Dump 2: Royal Trio in my Wildcard Kawakami AU

I have a wildcard Kawakami AU and I sketched the Royal Trio in the Au for 2/2!

Maruki is one of the OG Phantom thieves, joined in the first palace! His Arcana is Emperor, Codename Doctor, and I'm still torn between making his Persona Azathoth or Adam Kadmon

Rumi is the Target for the Fourth palace and the fourth party member~ Her Arcana is Hermit, Codename Knight, and her Persona is either Eva or Marie Antoinette. She's the Shiho & Kasumi of this au!

Kasumi/Sumire stands in for Maruki. She's Rumi's Psychiatrist who, by chance, got hired by Shujin as a counselor. The rest of the story, including the third semester, is still being workshopped

Akechi stands in for Sae! Their roles are the only few who are truly swapped. His personality leans more toward his 3rd-semester self. I like to imagine he and this au's Sae have somewhat of a mentor/student relationship, even though they're just colleagues? Cue Akechi dragging Sae to Leblanc because she hasn't eaten lunch.

The unrecognizable blob is Akiren. Who, in truth, I'm still debating whether to put into Kawakami's role or Maruki's role. I imagine he's a laid-back, cool teacher. The kind who seems to joke around a lot but secretly cares a lot about his job.

Honest to god I want to develop this AU further because I have sooo many harebrained gag ideas like Rumi still beating Takuto's hand while she was recovering in the hospital, and breaking his hand while she's at it.

Would anyone be interested in hearing about this au?

[fictionkinfessions]

while i'm being self-indulgent with talking about myself in anonymity... can i say that the fandom depiction of my dynamic with akechi is also frustratingly "uncanny valley" to me?

he was... what i imagine a big brother would be like. kasumi (the flesh-and-blood one, not the introject lol!) tended to do everything for me, because that was the only way she knew how to help. and i love her a lot, and miss her every day, but... it wasn't ideal. i just wish we'd had the years to work it out...

anyway. akechi was as far away from that as you can get. he was always pushing for my independence, for me to have agency and power in my own life. if i didn't know how, he'd support me until i did, and then step back. he really believed in me. when i wished him a happy birthday here a few months ago, i said something like "around [him], it's easy to remember how to be strong." that's the special kind of person he was.

but he wasn't... disgusted by me, or cruel, or anything like that. i think i reminded him of himself, when he was first getting entangled in the conspiracy... we're the last people who could judge each other for wanting to be perfect enough to be loved. that probably made it easier.

my point is, he knew i could be strong, so he helped me back up when i was weak. i'd like to think i did the same for him, but... i think he had his shit together a biiiit more than i did. what i did do was offer food, and make him get fresh air, and make a fool of myself so he could snark at me and drop the masking for a minute. ^_^

there was no "mean one and nice one," or shaming me for being mentally ill, or just? letting him bully me?? he was my friend. he taught me how to be angry again, and to stand up for myself. that was an expression of care, the same as me bringing him ice skating when he buried himself in research for too long, just so we could take turns laughing at each other as we fell over.

i miss him very much. <3 —sumire yoshizawa 💕

(and on the topic, to anyone reading this: if it's been a few hours since you've eaten, have a snack! sip a beverage with it! if you've been sitting down for a while, meander around for a minute to get your muscles moving! you are welcome to imagine me cheering/press-ganging you into it if you want the authentic experience! this goes doubly so for any akechi out there, i'm worried you're being too hard on yourself. call it intuition.)

x

[oh-katsuki]

between tbhk and chainsaw man why are they making cannibalism romantic 😭 also i loved every minute of sumire and hakubo and i was sad that their chapters were unpopular and called problematic 😔 anyways im not saying i want to be eaten but like,,, hear me out??

NOOO FRRRR!!!

I mean if I’m being honest I can def SEE why people might find sumire and habuko uncomfortable considering the age (and SPECIES😭😭) gap between them. fact is tho that it’s fiction and created by humans, which means it can be problematic but still enjoyable at the same time😭😭😭

I enjoyed their arc tho!!! I think habuko and his motivations are SUPER interesting and only become more interesting when sumire is involved.

that being said…. consumption IS romantic!!!! I do not want to eat or be eaten, but I do think there is something SUPER intimate about the concept of consumption (no matter how you present it).

I’m definitely hearing u out. I need to take a bite out of satoru.

[hanako-san]

@scar-eyejolteon14 I see you didn't understand... it's about the similarities. Sumire and no.6 have romantic feelings for each other. Amane and Tsukasa share a family type of love. 6/Sumire ... Amane/Tsukasa, share the feeling of love. The love of the first pair is in a romantic light, the scond pair in a brotherly way light.

There is no such thing as "manipulation" in there. no side is "manipulating" the other. Tsukasa (Amane's yorishiro) is asking him to destroy him, becuase he is the yorishiro. In addetion to asking for it to be done 'right', unlike the first time. It's the same way as 6/Sumire. Amane as No.7 can destroy his yorishiro (Tsukasa) like it happened with 6 and Sumire.

Tsukasa and Sumire asked to be destroyed by No.7/No.6. And both No.7 and No.6 are 'happy' to do it for those they love. They are happy to go to the depth of Hell for them

Sumire didn't mind being eaten by her lover no.6. Tsukasa doesn't mind being killed by Amane again. Amane and Hakubo live in a curse to hurt those they love a second time, it's their hell because they don't want to, but they are forced, it's their hell and curse to kill the people they love again.

There is no toxicity here, just a comparison of two situations that share similarities with the light of romantic love and brotherly love.

[theevilthatismokke]

The myth of Sumire and Hakubo: JSHK chapter 94 and the reinterpretation of “Tales of Ise: Part 6 (Akutagawa)”

Hakubo and Sumire seem to be a point of controversy and confusion among the jshk fandom: from their introduction to the latest chapters, they are a misunderstood and underrated pair, a phenomenon that has only exploded as of chapter 94.

There are many factors, as I see it, that contribute to this... confusion. But in this post, I'll focus on an aspect that is so far, very overlooked, but in my opinion, very important in understanding Hakubo and Sumire: their relationship with the mythical and mundane.

For that, I'll also be comparing chapter 94 with part 6 of the Tales of Ise (Akutagawa).

But before we begin this analysis, I feel we must clear a few concepts.

1. Clearing concepts: Eating and Sex, Death and Marriage

It feels like I'm pointing out the obvious, but just to be safe, let's talk a bit about these metaphors, not only what they generally mean in literature, but how Aidairo apply those metaphors in JSHK.

a) Eating = sex

This… should be the most obvious one. It’s really not that uncommon to see this particular metaphor in… any sort of media whatsoever! Poems, songs, books, movies, series… Maybe you’ve heard instances in literature of wanting to devour someone equating to sexual desire. Or think of vampires, these monsters now synonymous in pop culture to sexual beings, their lust for blood often intertwined with sexual lust. Heck, even stories that come from oral tradition, such as Little Red Riding Hood, have many interpretations that equal the wolf’s eating of the girl to sex.

Still, even without this knowledge, Aidairo does establish plenty of times, both in their AUs and the manga proper, what eating- particularly someone else- can mean within their writing.

Let’s start with the AUs:

In Hanako-kun of Magic: Sweet Witch Banquet, the only way Nene and Aoi can bring back the people they turned into sweets back to normal is to eat them… with the side effect that, for a short amount of time, the people who were eaten will fall in love with those who ate them.

In the Ghost Hotel AU, it’s a little more subtle but it’s still there. There are two instances of monsters eating those they desire. First, there’s Kou, who’s a werewolf in this AU, and apparently can’t resist taking chunks out of Mitsuba the mummy to cook and eat.

Second, there’s Hanako, who’s a vampire in this AU, and who’s stated to have drunk too much blood out of Tsukasa, and later, is implied to bite Nene and do the same to her, trapping her with him in the hotel.

But AUs are not the only place Aidairo have written this metaphor. In the very first chapter, eating a mermaid’s scale together means you’re bound to each other, a bond equated in said chapter to a romantic relationship.

And if that example’s too much of a stretch for you, than look no further than chapter 39: Mokke of the Dead!

In that chapter we have two instances of eating equating to sex and romance. First, when kegare!Hanako going straight to Nene to eat her. The scene is…

…quite suggestive, Nene even misinterpreted it at first!

Later, we have Akane who, under the influence of kegare, seemingly translates his romantic feelings for Aoi into wanting to eat her.

It’s very clear here that Akane’s thinking of Aoi when trying to take a bite out of Nene. Hilariously, Nene herself worries that Akane trying to eat her would result into a love triangle between her, Aoi and Akane.

And last but not least…

THESE PANELS ARE CLEARLY BEING FRAMED AS A SEX SCENE!!

Seriously, how could anyone not see it?

So, yeah, JSHK clearly uses the cannibalism = romance and sex metaphor a lot. But what about death and marriage?

Let’s find out:

b) Death and Marriage

For this one we must turn back in time and go for stories based on oral tradition.

Death and the Maiden is a very famous, frequently used motif in stories. Most iterations of Beauty and Beast use both Death and the Maiden and Animal Bridegrooms in their narratives to make a point.

But basically, death and marriage have been equated in stories for a very long time, to symbolize the cyclical nature of a human’s life- in this case, it often has to do with the end of a woman’s childhood and the start of a new part of her life, as a wife and mother: adulthood, basically.

Think of Hades and Persephone, who are meant to symbolize the cyclical nature of life and death, the coming and going of the seasons and marriage as the end of childhood/maindenhood, but the beggining of something new.

In JSHK, this is also referenced with the Kannagis, usually young women of marriageable age, whose sacrifice is equated to marrying God and returning to his side.

Keep all of this in mind as I ask you: which of the mysteries oversees 'life and death'? Who, in the JSHK universe, is meant to be seen as the main representative of Death? And what character is mostly seen among flowers? What characters are heavily associated with the dual nature of Life and Death?

Hint: it's Hakubo and Sumire.

As No. 6, Hakubo has powers over life and death. Currently, he’s also referred to as a Shinigami, often translated as a “Grim Reaper” or “God of Death”. The term “shinigami” can also have, in literature, a link to suicides and shinjuu. Finally, he’s an Oni. In many stories, often written during/after wars, famines and natural disasters, Oni are featured eating people- in these, Oni are a metaphor for death itself.

So, if we consider Hakubo’s role as a Death deity in the JSHK mythos, we have to ask this question: what happens when Death falls in love?

2.) Chapter 94: The reinterpretation of Tales of Ise Part 6 (Akutagawa)

The 'Tales of Ise' is a uta monogatari (essentially, a collection of poems and other narratives) composed of more than 100 episodes, some of which date back all the way to the Heian period.

Among those poems, there is one in particular Aidairo chose to allude to and reinterpret in their manga: Episode 6 (Akutagawa). The story below (translated by Helen McCulough) shares certain beats with chapter 94:

A certain man had for years courted a most inaccesssible lady. One pitch-black night he finally spirited her out of her apartments and ran off with her. As they passed a stream called the Akutagawa, She caught a glimpse of a dewdrop on a blade of grass and asked him what it was. The journey ahead was long, the hour had grown late, and a torrential rain was pouring down, punctuated with frightful peals of thunder. The man put the lady inside a ruined storehouse and stationed himself in the doorway wiht his bow and quiver on his back, never dreaming that the place was haunted by demons. But while he was standing there longing for daybreak, a demon ate the lady up in one gulp. A thundercap muffled her scream of terror. When the sky finally began to lighten a bit, the man peered inside and saw that the lady was gone. Frantic with helpless grief, he recited, When my beloved asked, "Is it a clear gem Or what might it be?" Would that I replied, "A dewdrop!" and perished.

There are quite a few beats that match, no? A couple that isn’t allowed to be together is stranded by the rain, but it ends unexpectedly as the woman is eaten by an oni.

Now, before any of you look at this superficially, have a "gotcha!" kind of reaction and try to use it as proof that Hakubo didn't love Sumire or that Sumire was eaten against her will, let me reiterate that not only chapter 94 is a reinterpretation of this tale, but also that Aidairo has done this sort of thing before.

Aidairo loves to reference all kinds of stories in JSHK. The 'Little Mermaid' is thematically very important to Nene's character, part of the short story 'Takasebune' is narrated by Amane during the Picture Perfect arc, the myth of 'Orpheus and Eurydice' is alluded to twice, first with Akane and Aoi, then with little Tsukasa, Nene and Kou.

Most obviously, we also have the urban legend of 'Hanako-san' right in the first chapter.

What do all these instances have in common? The answer is simple: they all are reinterpretations of the original tales.

For example: both with Akane and Aoi, and the trio of Nene, Kou and little Tsukasa, we have an allusion to the famous scene of Orpheus looking back to see Eurydice, only to find her gone.

The differences in these interpretations lie on many factors, but most heavily on the characters taking the role of ‘Eurydice’. Although she was essentially kidnapped, Aoi still was passively suicidal, and later even lashed out at Akane and Nene, who were trying to rescue her. Likewise, Tsukasa actually knew the way to get back to his family, he only chose not to until Kou and Nene convinced him to do otherwise.

By giving Aoi and Tsukasa more agency than the character of ‘Eurydice’ had in some known versions, this allows for a more complex and nuanced narrative without taking the tragic elements out of it. That said, to outsiders, these situations might look like a version of ‘Orpheus and Eurydice’ played completely straight: a tragedy about a poor, helpless thing taken too soon against their will, not particularly nuanced nor too complex.

Chapter 94, similarly, transforms the chapter of Akutagawa into a more complex and nuanced story by giving both Hakubo and Sumire more agency, even if, to outsiders, it might look like it was just the tragic tale of a poor innocent girl being trapped and eaten by a monster.

And this where we can see the differences between the two stories.

The woman in the chapter ‘Akutagawa’ is a tragic figure… but her voice can barely be heard anywhere in the narrative. The only things we know about her are that: one, she was implied to be of a much higher status than the man, and two, that she was apparently so sheltered and isolated, she’d never seen a dewdrop before in her life. The man mourns not explaining to her what a dewdrop was.

Sumire was, indeed, from a family of much higher status than Hakubo, who was essentially a slave to the Minamoto clan and their village. Sumire was also, very sheltered and isolated throughout her entire life.

But Sumire’s status within the village was simultaneously very similar to Hakubo’s own: she was nothing but an object to be sacrificed, mostly referred as a Kannagi by her fellow humans. And although she was sheltered and isolated, Sumire hilariously began her relationship with Hakubo as the one with more basic living skills (cooking, laundry, cleaning).

Sumire, most importantly, knew Hakubo was an oni from the very beginning, and again and again proclaimed her love for him, knowing very well what, who and how he is.

While Sumire is meant to represent the woman in the tale, Hakubo is meant to be both the man eloping with the woman he loves and the oni who eats her.

Hakubo, like the man in ‘Akutagawa’, pines for a woman he cannot be with: not as kaii who loves a human, not as the one in charge of seeing her off as a Kannagi. Hakubo had wished to take Sumire’s hand and run away from their village, to ‘spirit her away’ much like the eloping couple did. And ultimately, so they would not be separated again, Hakubo eats Sumire, as the oni ate the woman.

It’s very poignant, I think, that Hakubo represents both the man and the oni from ‘Akutagawa’. The entire irony of his monologue in chapter 94 lies in the fact that he didn’t need to be a human man to do any of those things: he managed, in his own way, to do them all.

He laments not being able to cry for Sumire, while his face has been permanently marked, two thin tears streaks forever burned in his visage.

He wishes he could’ve grown with her, and yet, did he not grow? Learning with and from her, how to take care of himself and her, discovering and developing feelings and desires buried deep within him? Does he not seem older, comparing before and after he met Sumire, physically, mentally, emotionally?

He says he wished he could’ve laughed with her too, dismissing how, moments ago, he was actually smiling and playful, the happiest we’ve ever seen him be as he recalls precious memories with Sumire.

‘I would’ve clung to you and cried as you were sacrificed’ he says as his boundary itself weeps, trapping her in a cave with him, as if begging her not to leave him again.

…‘I would even have fallen in love with you like a human man would’ he confesses, as he devours her, usurping the River God of the village as her husband, after kissing her like a man starved, after confessing to be under her spell.

Hakubo represents both man and oni because he was both, because, in JSHK, kaii and human truly aren’t all that different.

…Hakubo is also the woman, ignorant of his own heart, as she was of the world outside.

Sumire is also the man and the oni, at once guiding and haunting Hakubo.

The reinterpretation of ‘Akutagawa’ in chapter 94 is not meant to lend a cynical view on Hakubo and Sumire’s relationship and feelings for each other.

Instead, it is meant not only to reinforce that they loved each other, but also finally get some agency, after a lifetime of abiding to their village’s will.

It is also important to note that chapter 94 is, in many ways, a do-over of chapter’s 89 ending for both Sumire and Hakubo.

Once again, they’re placed in a situation where a higher power dictates that Sumire must be sacrificed and that Hakubo shall oversee said sacrifice. Sumire even says:

Both Hakubo and Sumire had many regrets about that day. Feelings unspoken, the sin of inaction… the loop present in their boundary symbolizes how neither ever moved on from that night, from their regrets.

When faced with the same situation once again in chapter 94, Hakubo and Sumire decided to take their fates into their own hands, with the cards they were dealt. Unlike their past selves, and unlike the man and the woman in ‘Akutagawa’, Hakubo and Sumire at last gained some agency.

It isn’t a tragic ending, although I don’t see it as truly happy either. Like many things in their lives, it was bittersweet.

3.) Nature vs Nurture: the significance of the rumors and the “right way” to love someone

I've seen some people completely miss the point and think that Hakubo's nature as an Oni means he's incapable of loving someone. The same people also completely ignore the sort of environment he grew up in.

First, and as a quick note, I find this panel very interesting:

It has struck with me for quite some time now, Shuten Doji’s pose. It looks like he was reaching in Hakubo’s direction, almost as if to warn him or protect him. How odd if you think that Oni apparently aren’t capable of love.

But regardless of nature and what love might innately mean to an Oni, we should also take a look at Hakubo’s formative years:

A slave, a tool to be used, Hakubo not only equates the humans to the mountain Onis, he also grows up hearing again and again that he’s a monster incapable of understanding humans, that he’s different, he’s unfeeling.

How the hell was that not supposed to affect how Hakubo viewed himself?

(something, something, call someone monster enough times, and they'll actually become one)

The manga never really discards either nature and nurture when it comes to their characters, and with Hakubo, it is both his dense nature and his alienating non-upbringing that turns him into the mess he is.

By the way, we’re absolutely meant to compare the villagers talking about Hakubo to the students spreading rumors. The way they call him creepy, the panel where only the hands of the villagers are shown... it kinda reminds me of Shijima-san's flashback.

This last image also low-key reminds me of the scene where the villagers are celebrating Sumire's death. I think Akane's steadyfast belief that kaii don't value life and his implict belief that humans value it will be put in question by either or both Shijima and Hakubo. But that's a whole other thing.

And just in case you missed, here’s a little montage of humans and supernaturals being compared:

Kou is ‘kinda like’ Yako, Aoi and Hanako 'might be alike’, Nene and Tsukasa are the same.

Humans and supernaturals are compared so many times in this manga, and every single time we see that they’re not really that different. All of them have someone they love- all of them.

Considering this, I must ask: just what is “truly loving someone” in the world of JSHK? What is the “right” way to love someone in the manga, presented by the text?

And just which characters have managed to love someone the “right” way?

Is it Yako, who has tried to bring Misaki back in the shadiest way possible, by harming students and building a fake body?

Is it Tsuchigomori, who never put anything in line to help Amane?

Is it Shijima, who tried to kill Mei?

Is it Akane, who stalks Aoi, constantly changes himself for her and beats up her admirers? Is it Aoi, who has stabbed him, and simultaneously kept him at arms length and lead him on for years?

Is it Natsuhiko, who tried to drug Sakura and is okay with her destroying humanity as long as he gets a date? Is it Sakura, who is cold and violent towards Natsuhiko, while not letting him go?

Is it Kou, who calls Mitsuba a ‘fake’, tries to commit suicide to appease his guilt, and is a low-key bully to him? Is it Mitsuba, who kidnapped Kou and wants Kou to accept him just because he’s lonely?

Is it Teru, who tortured Akane on a daily basis and tries to control Kou’s life?

Is it Nene, who fell for the first boy who gave her attention, can be frivolous and shallow when it comes to romance and is always making excuses for Hanako?

Is it Tsukasa, who’s love-starved, obsessed and willing to destroy and manipulate everything and everyone to make Hanako happy?

Is it freaking Hanako, who killed Tsukasa, who tried to imprison Nene and who is creepily possessive of both?

…Is it Sumire, who wished to a submissive, obedient Oni to fall into hell for her and was blissfully happy when she found out he did just that?

...Is it Hakubo, who cannot express or understand himself clearly, and struggles with his feelings just like any other character in this manga?

If you’ve read any of those and tried to justify something, or if your gut reaction was “well, it’s more complicated than that…”, or if you thought that this doesn’t mean the feelings of love weren’t there, even if warped or twisted…

Then, congrats, you got it!

Pretty much no character has a truly healthy idea of love in the manga- all the romances… all the main relationships so far have been at least a little bit messed up.

But something JSHK has not done so far is put any of its couples in the “failed romance/not true love” box. It has played with concepts of selfishness vs. selflessness, yes, but it has never disregarded the feelings of those involved as not love.

The only time I remember that Aidairo explicitly told the audience that something wasn’t love was through Nene in the very first chapter… when she admitted she didn’t know anything about her old senpai or Teru, nor did she bother getting to know them.

This is a manga about people who are on the way to discovering themselves and who have no idea how to communicate nor express love in a healthy manner. Trying to divide characters and relationships into “true love” and “not-true love” is… terribly inane.

Furthermore, trying to say that any character is incapable of love in JSHK is, to me, going against one of the core themes and messages of the manga: that everyone loves and is loved.

And speaking of themes, let’s talk about Hakubo and Sumire’s role as the culmination of JSHK’s themes, thesis and messages.

4.) Hakubo and Sumire: JSHK’s blueprint

This one will be brief, but it should be said. If you’ve paid any attention to JSHK, you’ll notice that Aidairo love their parallels. They use it everywhere, to drive a few points and get their themes across better.

These parallels also serve to connect all the characters narratively and thematically. But, the king and queen of parallels in this manga are Hakubo and Sumire. Go ahead, compare them to any character or relationship in the manga, and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

Basically, Sumire and Hakubo serve as mirrors and foils to all the important characters and relationships we’ve seen so far… actually, even minor ones, since they also have parallels with Yorimitsu.

Hakubo’s and Sumire’s narratives and relationship are meant to illustrate all the themes of the manga in one duo. So, when I really think about it, the thought of Aidairo saying that Hakubo/Sumire are a “doomed/failed romance” or that Hakubo and Sumire didn’t love each other is… absurd! Why make the embodiment of your work’s message and themes into something cynical, when JSHK has such hopeful undertones, especially when it comes to love? Doesn’t make sense to me.

Instead, I propose the opposite: Hakubo and Sumire are meant to illustrate that relationships between kaii/human are possible, that they can understand one another and that everyone is capable of loving and being loved.

5.) Conclusion

JSHK chapter 94 is meant to be a reinterpretation of chapter 6 of ‘Tales of Ise’ (Akutagawa). This retelling is meant to give more agency to Hakubo and Sumire as they choose to end things on their own terms, while finally having some sort of closure regarding each other’s feelings: Hakubo and Sumire loved each other and were loved by one another.

This reinterpretation also reiterates Hakubo and Sumire’s role as both the culmination of JSHK’s themes/messages and as part of the folklore/mythos of the manga.

Finally, the themes of nature vs nurture and kaii vs humans are explored within Hakubo’s speech to Sumire, where we are meant to question whether it was necessary for him to be human in order to love Sumire or if he, as an Oni, managed to do it, regardless of what the world and Hakubo himself believe about oni/kaii.

While confusing sometimes, I believe Hakubo/Sumire are the key to understanding JSHK’s themes, messages and possible endings better, so it is vital that we look at them carefully.

Also, on a side note, I do not believe that chapter 94 will be the last we’ve seen of these two, and I’m not necessarily talking about flashbacks.

When it comes to a manga like JSHK, which deals so much with the afterlife, plays with our notions of “life and death” and has so much time traveling, not to mention time-loops… I’m always hesitant to say that a character is truly gone. After all, Mitsuba has ‘died’ how many times already in the manga proper?

And considering the other instances of characters fusing upon eating the other, and the fact that Hakubo not only oversees ‘Life and Death’, but also that his powers haven’t been properly used for the plot yet… there’s so much that’s gone unanswered about those two… and there’s this panel that shall haunt me forever:

(Me, after seeing how deeply connected to the number six both Sumire and Habuko are: What the hell does this mean, Aidairo?! Come back and give me my husband-wife team!!)

Only time will tell. Who knows, maybe that’s the end and Aidairo was just messing with me. But I digress.

The purpose of Hakubo and Sumire in this manga is clear to me: not to makes us fearful and cynical for a ‘bad end’, but hopeful for a good one.

Now, whatever that would be for our characters is a whole other story.

[mari-lair]

yes i do! He is my favorite broadcasting club member!

He is so funny, I love his brand of humor, he gives me "I am a harem character in the wrong kind of manga" vibes!

He is also interesting at his core, there is a lot of contradiction to him: He seems to feel empathy and kindness in his heart, worrying for Mitsuba, sympathizing with Kou, trying to understand Sakura, and so on, but he is still on the 'bad guys side', he doesn't hide that his morality is grey and he isn't a very good person.

He is pretty blasé about the concept of death, he had no complains when Sakura was cursed students with Mei's flower petals as a distraction for him to break the clock, and his only reaction to stepping on a puddle of blood where he knew a 'cute girl' was eaten alive was "yuck!"

He wants to date Sakura. He seems to love her and be serious about her, confessing and flirting with her all the time, but despite coming of as a 'hopeless romantic and hopelessly devoted' guy he flirts with every girl he thinks is cute.

And is not empty flirting either, he would have been cool kissing Nene just because she is a cute girl.

Natsuhiko has no attachment to Nene beyond that, he and Sakura are only using her for their grand plan. They want her dead.

He is aware of what he is doing is considered evil, or so it seems, cause he call his schemes with Sakura evil with pride and joy.

Way too much joy, which disappears when he is alone.

His dissatisfaction about the 'I'll use my blood to melt the clock' plans seems to come mostly from how bleeding out drains him, and just... how gross blood is (he was disgusted when he stepped on Sumire's blood , and tsukasa killed the pufferfish so is not his acid blood in particular he finds gross) which is so cool for someone in the 'bad guys side' and whose reasons for being with Sakura are a mystery.

I also like how he doesn't want to look like a bad guy, like the aesthetic of it is the worst part, not how it may hurt others. The way he would destroy the world for Sakura's wish but when people do get hurt he doesn't look particularly pleased is also nice. Just... A lot of nice little things and contradictions to poke at.

He is not my priority right now, so I don't have insane spirals of thoughts about him, but he is overall a really fun character to theorize and analyze! On the few times I am in a Natsuhiko mood, it's always fun.

[specterthief]

so i just finished utena and it rewired my brain, as it does, and as i was watching i noticed some things:

i tweeted about this, but like. i already knew enough to have the impression before watching the series that there was probably a comparison to be drawn between maruki and akio but i can't get over the fact that the exterior shot of his palace looks like they just combined the staircase around the elevator to the dueling arena and akio's planetarium (which are really one and the same already) into one thing

and the whole nature of the planetarium, and what that reveals—that akio was always being dishonest about his work, that the planetarium wasn't about the stars as he claimed to endear himself to utena (and as it holds meaning to anthy, who says she wants to stay in the planetarium rather than see the stars outside in the real world) but about projecting the "fairy-tale illusions" to control the people within his walled garden—the same could be said about maruki's laboratory, and what's revealed about him. using cognitive psience to treat trauma was always a minor part of his goal. for a very long time—back to before he even first awakened his powers and used them on rumi—he wanted more than that, to preemptively control people deemed likely to commit crimes. controlling the cognition of all humanity was his expressed goal—a mission he thought he was chosen for by a god—before he had any idea that the phantom thieves would inadvertently grant him that much power. he can't even deny it when akechi accuses him of brainwashing sumire for his own self-satisfcation, merely argues that the ends justify the means if his reality is better for everyone. the "treatment" of sumi's specific trauma by destroying her real identity (and her being driven to such desperation that she'd attack the person she loves to stay in the false reality rather than face the truth) is just a byproduct, an experiment toward a greater end that places him in a position of godhood, of ultimate power to change the world in his image. to create his own garden of eden.

like, fuck, this certainly sounds familiar:

even on a more surface level—a member of the school faculty who's in the position with an ulterior motive, who the female students find extremely attractive (seriously, it's wild how often NPCs comment on maruki's looks or having feelings for him throughout his entire tenure at shujin—one even remarks on how good he looks in white.) a seemingly benevolent character who has a pre-established relationship with a young girl who's both the greatest victim of his schemes and violently devoted to protecting the fantasy he's created, who singles out the protagonist and bonds with them over time far more closely than would be appropriate for their positions, who uses that bond to try and achieve the power to change the world, only for the protagonist to refuse every temptation and take that power back...

and even looking at other symbols—in utena's duel with kanae, akio's fiancée (and the reason for him being in his position at ohtori,) she's surrounded by bouquets of white lilies that are identical to the one ella carries:

while in kanae's final appearance, she's shown catatonic as akio and anthy feed her apples—

—and apples are something that come up in relation to maruki constantly, whether the obvious presence of them as the fruit of eden in his palace (up yet another spiral staircase that resembles the path to the dueling arena):

or more prominently in the final boss fight:

or in his character art:

or references in various scenes, like in this bit of foreshadowing about making ryuji's "wish" come true:

or at more length with sumire:

and as the apples in utena can be compared both to the forbidden fruit of eden and the poison apple eaten by snow white, sumire, like kanae, is seen rendered unconscious (in a throne befitting a princess) in maruki's palace:

and despite her more obvious connection to cinderella via her persona, she has a weapon referencing snow white:

akio's obviously a much more overtly sinister character, as well an openly predatory one (which, to be clear, i definitely do not think is a supported read of maruki's actions in canon—manipulative, dishonest and terrible with setting appropriate boundaries with his teenage patients yes, acting with any legitimately predatory designs on anyone no) but the similarities are still striking to the point that they seem like they could be intentional, and i just wanted to try and get the coherent thoughts i had on all of this down in one place

and it is known both from statements from the guidebook interviews and from early content left in the final build of the game that significant amounts of maruki's story and palace were changed very late into development with the intention of making him more sympathetic and his deal more tempting, so i do wonder if this connection might have been even more clear in an earlier iteration of royal's story (though given they did have concerns about making him sympathetic from the outset, i don't think it's likely he was ever intended to be as clearly villainous as akio)

[2n2n]

...eating...

there’s.... actually a lot of eating each other, or body parts... not only in the manga’s scenes, but in AUs. If anything, it can seem to be more overt in the AUs, maybe... haha. Less reason for pretenses?

The manga scenes I know everyone’s familiar with......

and there’s the overall conceit that kaii are all drawn to wanting to eat the living, while humans are known to eat kaii to ascend to become them. So, in both directions, we have consumption. 

[I’ll remind you Nene-chan is a kannagi ;) speaking from experience, Hanako?]

Humans eating kaii to become them, kaii eating humans to gain more strength.... a vicious cycle! A state of unrest between them.

....but the AUs get pretty odd! In the Hanako-kun of Magic event, everyone is turned into sweets.

and then, eaten!

people voted for the result of the eating-- in the end, eating people made them fall in love with you. The alternate result was simply death, or, becoming the other’s familiar.

in Ghost Hotel, obviously Hanako is a vampire..... 

...who killed his brother via over-indulging in drinking his blood. there’s also JP theories that Tsukasa is missing at least his fingers on his right hand......? possibly bitten off by Hanako?

though just as overt is ah, the situation between Mitsuba and Kou...

Kou is a werewolf with an affinity for mummy meat and bones, chopping off parts of him for meals....

Poor Mitsuba is constantly harassed and bitten at. Destined to be an amputee it seems.....

here’s a gag:

Tsukasa: “Hey, hey! On Unagi Day, you eat things with U in them, apparently!!”

Minamoto KoU Mitsuba SoUsuke HyuUga Natsuhiko

there was a silly event Hanako was turned into a lolipop

kinda weird face

...... and there really is a lot of art of characters inside of food, isn’t there? If I tried to include half of it, I’d hit the image limit....

......there’s no conclusion uhhh... I’m just.... going to keep this in mind, I guess.

If you can think of something else in an AU or random twitter bit, let me know :p 

Well, I get to update this post!

Mitsuba, a weak kaii, craves to consume the living, and resists the allure of consuming Kou. Like Hanako likely does with his kannagi Nene-chan :p

Oddly, this situation gives us another specifically hand/finger biting. Between the stumpy amputated Mitsuba here, in the Hotel AU as a mummy, Hakubo eating Sumire’s hand first, Hanako possibly eating Tsukasa’s fingers or hand in Ghost Hotel ............................ maybe AidaIro (which of you do I blame lol) have ‘a thing’ specifically for finger-biting?

another edit for another thing. Obviously, it’s central to the Bakeneko Ryokan that Hanako is a Nekomata, which classically eat humans.......

[randoimago]

Persona 5 Ladies Relationship Headcanons pt. 1

Characters: Ann, Makoto, Futaba, Haru, Sumire

Rating: Fluff, Some angst

Warning: Contains spoilers for Royal!!

Part 2

Notes: Another request from Tumblr asking for relationship headcanons for the P5 Girls!! Reuploading cause Tumblr fixed the shadowban so hopefully you all can see this now

Ann

Lots of hanging out at the underground mall. Like you two don’t even buy anything half the time, just window shop.

Ann is a foodie so there’s going to be lots of cute lunch dates or times when you two get sweets.

Definitely jokes around about doing the cliché couple thing of feeing each other food but if you attempted to feed her something then she’ll be so flustered.

Ann being a model means she has a lot of attention so things will probably get a bit hectic in the relationship if she gets recognized by fans or something.

While she wants to put most of her focus to her modeling career, she still loves and cares for you. It might just be a bit tense at times.

Ann has been through a lot and is going through a lot so as long as you stay by her side then you guys will be golden through thick and thin.

Makoto

Definitely more serious and closed off when it comes to your relationship. Like she’s not going to want to do a lot of PDA or anything as she wants things to be more private.

Makoto is a huge dork despite her rather professional attitude so she’s rather easy to fluster.

Makoto is pretty serious about her future and career so she’s absolutely going to take in account your relationship for the future too, so be prepared for lots of talks and planning for years in advance.

If you ever surprise Makoto with a movie date to the newest action movie then she’ll be so thrilled. She might try and stay professional about things but she’s going to be so happy.

She’ll absolutely wake you up in the middle of the night because she “heard something”. She’s so scared of ghosts and so you’ll have to protect her.

While I can see Makoto being really close to you, I can also see at times her asking to put the relationship on hold when she has something huge coming up or if she really needs to focus. So just be patient because she still loves you, she’s just extremely focused.

Futaba

So the relationship with Futaba really depends on when it happens. Like if it’s right after her palace events then she’s going to be so hesitant and scared about everything so you need to have patience with her.

If there’s been some time for her to grow a bit and explore things out (ie the week leading up to the beach visit) then she’ll still be rather hesitant but a bit less so. She’ll be more willing to try more couple things.

Always keep an eye on Futaba too. She’ll be scared and hold your hand through the whole walk wherever one second but as soon as she sees a new device or game then she’ll be gone.

She’s going to want to talk your ear off about the latest games and fandoms she’s into so be prepared for a lot of possibly useless info.

If you so happen to like the same fandoms or be as geeky as she is then be prepped to have many debates with her and be able to keep up with her.

I feel like since Futaba hasn’t had a lot of social interactions that she falls for people hard and fast so you’ll definitely have to talk to her a bit about things to truly figure out the relationship.

Haru

Haru is so freaking sweet. You always get a “good morning!” message or “I hope you’ve eaten! If not I’ve made you a bento!” because she’s so a darling.

She’ll definitely want you to help her out at times with her gardening so she can share her favorite hobby with her favorite person.

While Haru is a sweetheart, she’s also ready to bash in some skulls if anyone says or does anything to hurt you.

There’s probably times when Haru has had to last minute cancel dates and whatnot due to running her family’s company, she apologizes profusely each time but it has happened.

Haru cares a lot about the relationship but there might be some times when it’ll be long distance due to business trips that she has to be on.

Another relationship that will require some patience at times. There’s so much love on her end but things get hectic.

Sumire

Like with Futaba, the relationship with Sumire will be vastly different depending on when it takes place.

A relationship with Sumire before “the incident” will be so sweet and she’ll constantly feel lucky to be with you as you’d be the one thing her sister doesn’t have.

If you date after “the incident” then there will be so much guilt on her end, she doesn’t know why she feels the guilt but it causes her to end the relationship because she doesn’t deserve you.

Dating after Sumire comes to terms with what happened to her sister will still have so much guilt on her end and you’ll have to be so patient and will have to constantly remind her that you’re there and not leaving her.

There’s going to need to be a lot of patience with dating Sumire either way and you’re going to have to be her personal hype person because she really needs someone to be there for her.

Sumire does love you, she just needs time to figure everything out. Once she does then it’ll be such a sweet and tender relationship.